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Verizon Wireless Expands Mobile Data Plans

Verizon’s new shared data plans now offer up to three gigabytes.Credit John Minchillo/Associated Press

AT&T has made several big moves recently, including price cuts for its family plans, to fight off T-Mobile US and hold onto its customers. Now Verizon Wireless is sweetening its phone plans, too.

Verizon on Thursday said it would offer new plans, called More Everything, which include more mobile data and free international text messaging.

The new plans mainly benefit people who have subscribed to Verizon’s Edge program, which offers a quicker path to upgrading to a new smartphone. Edge subscribers with data plans of eight gigabytes or less will get $10 off their monthly plans. Customers who choose plans of 10 gigabytes or more get $20 off — a discount meant to attract families.

Under the new offering, though, Verizon’s plan is still slightly more expensive than competitors’ plans for families. A family of four sharing 10 gigabytes of data would pay $180 on Verizon, $160 on AT&T and $140 on T-Mobile. But Verizon has always charged a premium to its wireless subscribers partly because it has the broadest network coverage in the nation.

Verizon is also adding more data to some of its older shared data plans. Verizon’s older shared data plans, which offered data in tiers of 500 megabytes, one gigabyte and two gigabytes, have been bumped up to one gigabyte, two gigabytes and three gigabytes, respectively. Existing customers on Verizon’s shared data plans will be upgraded to the new plans automatically.

“Some customers will see their data allowance doubled for the same monthly price they paid previously,” said Debra Lewis, a Verizon spokeswoman, in a news release.

This month AT&T lowered the cost of its family plans, and last month T-Mobile said it would pay people hundreds of dollars to cover termination fees when they leave their carriers for T-Mobile.